Film-cleaning device



G. H. BENNETT.

FILM CLEANING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, T921. l

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,GEORGE H. BENNETT, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSGURI.

FILM-CLEANING- DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 6, 1921.

Application mediteren 5, i921. serial no. 449,670.

To all 'ic/om it may concern.'

Be it known that I, GEORGE H. BENNETT, a citizen of the United States, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State of Missouri, have invented certain new and useful .improvementsin F ilm-Cleaning Devices; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear7 andeXact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art tov which-it appertains to make. and use the same, reference being had to the. accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specication.

This invention relates toa film cleaning device and particularly to a machinefor removing dust, dirt, grease and other eXtra-V neous matter from the film surface without damaging the film.

Aftera vfilm has been usedy in a projectoscope for a considerable time, it accumulates foreign matter, such as dust, dirt and grease,

`the result being that the film is rendered moreV opaque yand in orderito project the objective upon the screenwith the desired degree of brilliancy, it is necessary to 1ncrease the illuminosity ofthe light source unless the film `be restored to its original condition. y t y The invention also contemplates means for passing the l filmthrough a bath and through drying conduits at a uniform rate of speed so that there will be a uniform treatment throughout the entire strip of film, an advantage which will be clearly apparent when it isy considered that in order to obtain the best screen eiects, the film should have a uniform density or transparency throughout.l The novel features of my invention will be clearly apparent by reference yto the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective View of a machine constructed in accordance .with my finvention. i

y Fig. 2.,'is a top plan view of the same. `F ig. 3 is a detail perspective view ofa clamp for securing one of the wipers to a bar.

4 is a sectional view on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 5-5 `of Fig. 2, and

ypulley 16, which drives 30, between the ends of gplate 31 are springs 32, theends of the posts F ig. 6 is a sectional view through y the bath liquid containing reservoir.

In carrying out my invention l prefer to provide a substantially rectangular franiejl having an extended portion 2. Supported by the extended portion of the framel and the frame 1 are guide rods 3 and 4 on which is slidably secured a carriage. 5 and in which is rotatablymounteda vshaft 7 having on one end a friction disk: 8 `and at the other end a keyed portion 9 to receive a reel spool 10. 4The disk 8 is adapted to be drivenby a pinion disk 11 on a shaft 12, mounted iii theextension 2 and in the frame 1, as shown 'in Fig. 2. On the end of the shaft 12 distant from the disk 11 isa pulley'13,'receiv ing motion from a belt y14 driven from the pulley 14 on the drive shaft of the motor 15.

The shaft of the motor15` alsocarries a `a belt 17 passing around the pulley 18 on the impeller shaft 19 of a fan blower 20. The reel 10 is the accumulating reel adapted to wind,l film from a delivery reel 21, mounted on a shaft 22 carried by the frame 1. The film 23 on the reel 21passes through a bath contained in the reservoir 24. The entrance end of the reservoir ispreferably providedv with guide rollers 25, there being three shown, although the number is optional. i l

The film 23 maypass in a tortuous path through the rollers so that it will be guided over rolling surfaces instead of abrupt angles as it `moves throughy the bath liquid contained `inthe reservoir 24.

V@n the floor kof the reservoir 24 is shown a rack 26, `hearing fiexible wipers 27 bearing against the under side of the film, there being complementary wipers 28 carriedy by a film. The rack 29 is vertically movable in the casing 21 and carries upstanding posts which and the cover also carrying threaded extensions to receive lthe, wing nuts 33 so that the proper `tension may be provided for the rack 29. The cover plate is shown as xed to the half 35 of a vertical conduit 36, the conduit consisting, in addition to the halff35,rof another complementary half 37 which is provided with laterally slidable projections 38, adjustably secured to the frame `1 justinent for the film.k

to effect lateral ad-4 The members `35 and 37 arevalso formed with recessed portions in the form of 'racks i againstA the edge,

state, having the polishing kwipers in conduit `45. In orand carry flexible wipers 39 and 40 respecp tively to exert slight tension against the film as it passes between them so as to remove moisture adhering to the film after it has passed through its bath. i

In order to prevent sharp angles, the film is adapted to pass aroundfan idler 41, carried by the bracket 42 on the end of the vertical conduit member 25, the edges of which slightly overlap the member 36.

1 After thevfilm has passed through the vertical conduit, it may pass over an idler 43 at the top ofthe frame 1, as shown in Fig.

1. The idler 43 is in alinement with a Vcoronto vthe receivinglreel,` I have `provided' means for directing-a'blast'of air fromfthe fan` casing 20, which communicates directly with the conduit 45 through an opening 50. Across'the opening 50 is a dividingstrip 51,

which directs the blast vof air from the fan casing 2O in divided stream lines over the top and bottom surfaces of the film but not the n edge being `protected by the strip' 51. i f

After thefilm has moved through the conduit '45 and over the idler 44, .itl will be wound upon the receiving reel 10111 a dry been sufficiently polished by der'to obtain the best results, itis desirable that the film pass through the bath in the reservoir21at a uniform rate of speed, to be uniformly acted upon by the cleansing Y .fluid within the reservoir 21,V it being under- Vstood that anysuitable cleansing fluid may be employed which will not soften the film.

In order to'maintain a constant, Vuniform .travel of the'film through the bath removing and drying conduitI have provided means whereby the speed of thefreceiving reel will be such as to wind theV film upon itself at a uniform rate of speed irrespective ofthe change in diameter or perimeter of the .film yroll as Vit accumulates upon the receiving reel. In order to provide for this I have mounted aroller 52 in the bracket arm 53, carried byfthe frame 1, the roller "5,2 being in line with the hub V54 ofy the i'e- 'ceiving reel 10; When the film begins to wind upon the receiving roll 10, the hub will be in contact withthe roller or wheel 52 vand at that time the friction pinion disk 11 will be near the center of the friction disk 8. As the VVfilm roll. increases in diameter on the hub 54, theroller. or wheel 52 will press against it to move the carriage 5 outwardly on the` guide rods 3 and 4, causing the center of n the friction ydiskl 8 to move away from the pinion'll, increasing the circumference of the path traversed by the pinion 11 so that there will be a greater number of turns of the pinion 11 fora complete revolution of the. disk 8 as the pinion disk 11 moves toward the perimeter of` the disk 8, consequently the disk 8 will move at a slower rate of speed butvat such'rate4 that it will wind the film upon it at a uniform rate of speed. Correspondingly, there Vwill be a uniform travel of the film'through the machine at all times, consequently, Va uniform treatment will be applied and the finished productwill be greatly enhanced over one in which'an intermittent or irregular feed is provided. 1

When the film Vhas been completely cleaned or completely lwound upon the reel `10, the reel 21 `may be. substitutedv for 10 anda newl reel tobe cleaned may beapplied'to .the shaftlSi'and the operation may then be Y repgeated. I Y f y reference to Fig. 1 itfwill be observed that-the member '35 can be' vmoved into and lever `5,5, pivoted aty a convenient point on the machine and constituting a link connection between the pivot and the member 35, thelink 34 coperating therewith 'to insure" proper.` positioning of themember' 35 when it isto coperatewith the member 37.

The machine may be provided with a liguid supply tank 56,*v delivering liquid i outof operative position by means of ahand i through the valved pipe 57 into the reservoir 21, which may be drained through the valved `pipe V58 into a refuse receptacle 59, conveniently? supported upon .the base plate' 60. Y The rack-shaped members in all` ofthe conduits are substantially of like construcgtion, consisting of recessedbars having inclined faces against which `flexible elements 61 may be secured byclamping devices 62, as shown in Fig. 3. The barin Fig. 3 is designated 26 but the same construction applies to Lall of the bars,the essential problem being to provide means for effecting a wiping contact to remove dust, dirt, etc., in reservoir 21, moisture in conduit 37, and to polish the film in'conduit 45.- The wiping contacts are more efficient than polishing rolls or brushes which tend to scape the film which is not true of the flexible wipers.

From the foregoing it will be seen that a i ,device constructed in accordance with my krinvention will adequately remove extraneous accumulations of foreign matter from the film so as to restore it to practically its original condition in an inexpensive manner.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

l. In a film cleaning machine, film delivery and receiving members, a conduit between said members, paired racks insaid conduit, between which a lm may pass and each comprising separate wiping members inclined in the direction of travel of the film and terminating in flexible contact lips adapted for engaging a film, and an individual clamp for securing each wiping member to its rack.

2. In a filml cleaning machine, film delivery and receiving members, bath and drying conduits through which the film may pass, having connected housing members, removable to expose the interiors ,of the conduits, a single lever mechanism for simulta neously shifting the connected housing members, Wipers fixed inthe conduits, and Wipers on the connected housing member coperative with the fixed Wipers to mop and d both sides of a l'ilm While the film travels through the conduits.

3. In a film cleaning machine, film delivery and receiving members, a plurality of conduits through which a film may pass, each having Wipers for engaging both sides of the film, one of the conduits having a slot in its side Wall, means for delivering air through said slot to the interior of the conduit, and a baffle extending across the slot in line with the edge of the film, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

GEORGE H. BENNETT. 

